Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones said Monday that the team doesn’t have its 53 already determined. So Thursday’s preseason game against Denver could make the difference for a player or two on the bubble.

“There are jobs up for grabs,” Jones said. “I think we obviously start right now, starting [Sunday], going through a process of who now and what could change and there’s a handful of guys here who are battling. Let’s see how they answer the bell on Thursday and here we go.”

So who will make the Cowboys’ 53-man roster? Here’s my educated guess.

QUARTERBACK

1.) Tony Romo

2.) Brandon Weeden

There are too many other areas of need to keep three quarterbacks. Yes, Romo is coming off a December back surgery. But Jones said that won’t necessarily factor into possibly keeping a third signal-caller. The Cowboys like undrafted rookie Dustin Vaughan. With Caleb Hanie released Tuesday, Vaughan should get plenty of snaps to show his ability against Denver.

RUNNING BACK

3.) DeMarco Murray

4.) Lance Dunbar

5.) Joseph Randle

6.) Ryan Williams

Yes, I’m still keeping all four. Ryan Williams carried 12 times for 47 yards in Miami. He’s on the bubble but he continues to turn in impressive carries. Another good showing on Thursday and Williams could just play his way onto the roster. Could the Cowboys carry four running backs this season? Jones: “I wouldn’t rule it out.”

WIDE RECEIVER

7.) Dez Bryant

8.) Terrance Williams

9.) Cole Beasley

10.) Dwayne Harris

11.) Devin Street

I really like LaRon Byrd. He has very good size and athletic ability, which was on display during his 27-yard touchdown catch against the Dolphins. But I think the Cowboys only keep five receivers, so this group is basically set.

FULLBACK

12.) Tyler Clutts

The Cowboys aren’t carrying a blocking tight end, and Jason Garrett seems to prefer having a fullback on his roster. J.C. Copeland was released Monday, so Clutts will likely be the guy if a fullback is going to be included.

TIGHT END

13.) Jason Witten

14.) Gavin Escobar

15.) James Hanna

Escobar is dealing with a shoulder injury, however, he could see some playing time in the preseason finale. He didn’t play in Miami. Either way, it won’t change anything on the tight end depth chart. These three have been the clear cut favorites for a while.

OFFENSIVE LINE

16.) Tyron Smith

17.) Doug Free

18.) Jermey Parnell

19.) Travis Frederick

20.) Zack Martin

21.) Ron Leary

22.) Mackenzy Bernadeau

23.) Uche Nwaneri

Jones said only keeping eight was too thin. I think there’s plenty of position flex in this group to go less than normal. “I think [only eight] is a reach,” Jones said. “You’re getting real thin. … I think eight is tough. I can make you a case that we should keep 10 offensive linemen.” Do they have 10 worth keeping? “Oh, I think there are,” Jones said. “You may not agree with me.”

SPECIAL TEAMS

24.) Dan Bailey

25.) Chris Jones

26.) L.P. Ladouceur

I think you’ve seen these names before. This has been the group most have predicted since off-season workouts.

DEFENSIVE LINE

27.) Tyrone Crawford, DE

28.) Anthony Spencer, DE

29.) Jeremy Mincey, DE

30.) George Selvie, DE

31.) Henry Melton, DT

32.) Terrell McClain, DT

33.) Nick Hayden, DT

34.) Davon Coleman, DT

35.) Ken Bishop, DT

36.) DeMarcus Lawrence, DE

Spencer won’t be ready Week 1, but he’ll be on the 53-man roster. That means the Cowboys need at least four defensive ends outside of him. Lawrence doesn’t count because he’ll quickly be moved to the injured reserve. I thought Martez Wilson could be a factor, however, he was released Monday. If the Cowboys are going to add multiple players from other teams’ roster cuts, this is the area I think you’ll see the most additions.

LINEBACKER

37.) Justin Durant

38.) Rolando McClain

39.) Kyle Wilber

40.) Bruce Carter

41.) Anthony Hitchens

42.) Cameron Lawrence

43.) Will Smith

Losing Holloman to a spinal injury was a significant blow. He might not have started at all this season but he was a quality player who would’ve provided valuable depth. This is also an area where I could see the Cowboys adding a player that’s not on the current roster.

CORNERBACK

44.) Brandon Carr

45.) Morris Claiborne

46.) Sterling Moore

47.) Tyler Patmon

48.) B.W. Webb

The Cowboys could keep six corners but I’m sticking with five. The final spot could come down to rookie seventh-round pick Terrance Mitchell and Webb. I think Mitchell has had the better camp and preseason, but I’m not sure the Cowboys want to part with a player they drafted a year ago in the fourth round. With Orlando Scandrick suspended the first four games, he won’t count against the 53-man roster. Patmon secured a spot after his two interceptions and a forced fumble in Miami.

SAFETY

49.) Barry Church

50.) J.J. Wilcox

51.) Jakar Hamilton

52.) Jeff Heath

53.) Ahmad Dixon

Hamilton had a strong showing in training camp, but he hasn’t played the last couple weeks because of hamstring issues. I have him on the roster because I think he’s certainly one of their top five safeties, but his roster spot is far from guaranteed.

“He’s a guy that really, really made great strides, both as a back end safety, played a little bit as a nickel guy, he’s improved on special teams,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said Tuesday. “He has a lot of physical ability, and the big thing with him, like a lot of young guys, is simply maturing as a player. He definitely demonstrated that. But he has been out the last couple weeks. We like him a lot, and he’s certainly developed quickly for us, but his injury’s certainly a factor in our evaluation of him.”

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